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Basting sworn in as 52nd State Bar president

By: dmc-admin//May 21, 2007//

Basting sworn in as 52nd State Bar president

By: dmc-admin//May 21, 2007//

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Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson and Thomas J. Basting Sr. share a smile during his swearing-in as the next State Bar of Wisconsin President. Abrahamson’s comments during the May 8 ceremony were punctuated by her typically wry sense of humor.

WLJ Photo by Jack Zemlicka

Kitchen jokes, timely quips and definitive goals highlighted the swearing-in ceremony for Thomas J. Basting Sr., the new State Bar of Wisconsin president.

Basting was sworn in as the 52nd president by Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson at the Mid-west Express Center on May 10. He will succeed Steven A. Levine and begin his one-year term on July 1, 2007.

“It’s a privilege to be elected to this position, but it’s not about me, it’s about the goals of the Bar,” said Basting, who is with Midwest Mediation, LLC, in Madison.

Prior to Basting taking the oath of office, Abrahamson wryly asked him to clarify the pronunciation of his last name, to which he replied, “like what you do to a turkey.”

“I don’t cook” deadpanned Abrahamson, who went on to praise Basting’s four decades of legal expertise, and recent involvement in several State Bar committees which successfully revised the code of professional responsibility and the trust account rules.

Basting’s objectives were crystal clear as he pledged development of legal needs recommendations for the poor, consumer protection from unqualified legal representation and judicial campaign reform.

A staunch supporter of the recent “justice gap” study released in February, Basting was encouraged, but not yet satisfied with the evolution of the proposals adopted by the Board of Governors on May 8.

“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure this program moves forward in the next year,” said Basting, who suggested Wisconsin look at neighboring states for inspiration.

Each of the states surrounding Wisconsin contributes significantly to legal services for the poor.

“Wisconsin contributes zero,” said Basting. “Families should not be done harm by the hand of our legal justice system … it’s time to step up like our sister states.”

Basting noted that Gov. Jim Doyle’s budget has proposed $1 million for legal services and the incoming State Bar president hoped that number would increase biennially.

Peripheral to increasing access to justice, Basting is supporting measures to improve public protection as well. In the coming months, a State Bar petition will be submitted to the Supreme Court for adoption of rules defining the practice of law and creating an oversight committee to protect the public from predatory and unqualified legal representatives.

Creation of the Legal Services Con-sumer Protection Division, in conjunction with the Office of Lawyer Regulation, is a goal of the petition, which Basting said would be accompanied by explicit evidence that changes are needed.

The final objective for Basting was one which earned extended applause from attendees of the swearing-in ceremony.

“We need to take a serious look at reform (of the judicial election process) and see what the Bar needs to do,” said Basting, who testified in support of Senate Bill 171 also known as the Impartial Justice Bill.

Basting also said he hoped to create a Wisconsin Judicial Ad Task Force to review election advertising and speak out against defamatory comments, which poison the election process. That review process would be limited to ads that have already run and would not be used to block ads.

“If I can move those three issues forward with some level of success, I will consider my year as president a success,” said Basting.

The incoming president praised Levine’s dedication, if not his motivation, throughout his term.

“I know Steve pursued issues that we seldom agreed on, but I’ve come to know him over the last year and we’ve engaged in vigorous debates,” said Basting. “I look forward to him continuing his pursuits, and I will certainly continue to oppose him.”

Even prior to his election as the first self-nominated, out-state candidate, Levine supported several initiatives including abolition of the mandatory bar and the diploma privilege.

“Being Bar president was a lot like riding a horse,” said Levine. “The horse goes wherever it wants and all you can do is hang on and try not to fall off.”

Abrahamson, who has known Levine for more than 30 years, thanked the soon-to-be past president for bringing a “fresh look” to the State Bar and hoped he would remain a passionate contributor.

“Don’t give up and keep doing what you do well because it creates a great deal of work for me and the (Supreme) Court,” joked Abrahamson.

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